Colbert showed a quick clip of CNN’s conservative host SE Cupp (the one with the glasses) claiming that this is an awfully hard story for Americans to understand – things like, who did what to whom. Welcome to the GOP talking points desperately trying to save Christie’s 2016 presidential bid. The American people don’t know nuthin’ ’bout traffic and vengeance, Miss Scarlett.

Colbert also made a great Christie 2016 bumper sticker:

COLBERT: “Christie never lost sight of who truly was hurt by this: Chris Christie.”

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John AravosisFollow me on Twitter: @aravosis | @americablog | @americabloggay | Facebook | Instagram | Google+ | LinkedIn. John Aravosis is the Executive Editor of AMERICAblog, which he founded in 2004. He has a joint law degree (JD) and masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown; and has worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, and as a stringer for the Economist. He is a frequent TV pundit, having appeared on the O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline, AM Joy & Reliable Sources, among others. John lives in New York City, and is the cofounder of TimeToResign.com. Bio, article archive.

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Daylighting is not actual law enforcement, correct. But I am not saying we ONLY daylight, but rather those of us OUTSIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT to keep the flow of information to those IN law enforcement so that the political will increases to support prosecutors and other staff to DIG DIG DIG…

Don’t take the spotlight away from Christie.

Badgerite

Ah! That must be it. Thanks

ComradeRutherford

Josef Goebbels would definitely be a Republican in today’s America…

ComradeRutherford

He’s a Republican…

Jett

At this point, I would be ecstatic if we could just throw out the do nothing republican controlled House.

Jett

How true!

Jett

Fuggetaboutit, we don’t need no stinkin’ Christie in the White House!

Ford Prefect

Daylight can be edifying, but it’s not the same thing as actual law enforcement. Sadly, he knows quite well he’s most likely immune from the law. If we had people in office who were willing to enforce the law, that would be one thing. Indeed, it would be most refreshing at this point.

Oh, the “Republican” you’re speaking of? That was Josef Goebbels.

davidmartin7777

S.E. Cupp, ART student with a cake degree in ART APPRECIATION.

UncleBucky

We must be sure that he is going to be subject to the law. Daylight always does that.

Just like that republican what’s-his-name who said that a lie told over and over and over becomes the truth? Well, in this case, the TRUTH told over and over ensures that it is not covered over by Republican lies.

I’m wondering about the person who said, “Is it wrong that I’m smiling?” Who was it? Why was the person’s name redacted, when the names of top staffers were not? The thought crossed my mind that it might have been Christie. Sooner or later, that person will be identified.

MyrddinWilt

Its from the Middle English ‘apechen’ to accuse. Impeach comes from the same root.

Badgerite

The seven stages of grief? Chris Christie is experiencing the ‘seven stages of grief’?
Well, here;s a hanky and FU#.

The very definition of “circumstantial evidence” (pointing indirectly toward someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it) means that you need a lot of it to corroborate the story you’re trying to tell. Single pieces of circumstantial evidence are not compelling because there are usually reasonable alternative explanations for their presence (even fingerprints and DNA). Nothing stronger than an unimpeachable witness that can say “I saw him do it” or “I heard him say it”.

“Kelly is going to peach on Dowd” — I’m not familiar with the use of the word peach in this context. However, the idea that Christie is going to confess his sins in confidence to anyone at this point is pretty far fetched.

Ford Prefect

This is the point that liberals miss all the time. How many times have we seen similar or worse behaviors simply written off in the media in time for the next election cycle? Being rich and connected, he can behave badly because he’s immune from the law. He’s hardly unique in that regard as well. Has John Corzine even seen the inside of a courtroom, much less a jail cell for stealing a couple billion dollars?

CC can write off any support from North Jersey going forward. But in the end, it’s a local story and a local problem. I’m sure he’ll suffer a wee bit in the GOP-dominated south of the state, but that’s probably as far as that goes. Christie will be painted as the ultimate victim and GOP voters will go for it. In the end, base tribalism trumps moral bankruptcy and some mild illegalities. Anyone who thinks being a bully is problematic need only look to Rahm Emanuel, among countless others.

Either way, Christie is completely disqualified from public office. But only if he were a Democrat. Since Christie is a Republican, not only is this level of corruption not a crime, it’s a selling point for his run as President.

He is obviously a thug and this obviously happened because it is his normal way of doing business. Kelly is going to peach on Dowd, the Chief of Staff and Dowd is going to have plenty he can use to take Christie down. He can even meet Christie wearing a wire and get him to talk.

Circumstantial evidence is precisely what is needed here. Its the eye-witness testimony that might not be believed. Circumstantial isn’t a synonym for weak. DNA evidence is circumstantial, fingerprint evidence is circumstantial.

pappyvet

SE Cupp desperately twisting and turning to not only come up with an explanation that the wingnuts can run with but showing once again how very little respect they have for American’s ability to see B.S. when it is put right in front of them. Just give the rubes a talking point and watch them run.

“Imagine you are Wildstein’s lawyer and the Feds are offering probation with no jail time if your client will turn state’s evidence or charge him with 50,000 counts of kidnapping at 20 years each if he won’t.”

OK. I imagine that the most likely outcome in your scenario is that Wildstein (or just about any other human being) would testify that the whole nasty thing was done under direct orders from Christie, even if he had to perjure himself to do it. The problem with testimony that is bought and paid for in that manner, is that it isn’t very credible; you need other non-circumstancial evidence to back it up. It would be much more effective if they can get Wildstein to roll on Christie without the threat of prosecution hanging over his head.

cole3244

christie is a petulant immature little boy in a mans body how anyone can not see that is beyond me.

Petty, childish people who hold grudges like they are their very lifeblood, in positions of power where they can use that power to punish anyone who they feel has slighted them. Christie has demonstrated on multiple occasions that he has very little self-control in public situations, it can’t really surprise anyone that he has can’t help himself but abuse his power when he doesn’t have anything moderating his behavior behind closed doors. I’d bet if they dug further into his administration, there have been many other cases the use of public resources for political retaliation against his perceived enemies.

Monoceros Forth

The bloated bully is going down. He is not going to run for President.

Yeah, whatever else comes of this mess, it’s pretty safe to conclude that Christie’s presidential ambitions are finished. Probably there were already too many strikes against him–his weight, his failure to spit Obama in the face after Hurricane Sandy, not to mention the fact that he’s from one of those godless Yankee states–but, even if he evades any real punishment for this crap (and I’m guessing he will), this affair is certain to erase what was left of his national political appeal.

cole3244

that was a great segment and makes perfect sense, hopefully someone will look into it and hold these small minded people accountable.

cole3244

christie said he learned about this on wednesday morning after doing his workout, he should tell america what that workout is so americans can cross that off their exercise routine, at least that way something positive will come out of this incident.

Badgerite

Rachel Maddow has a very good segment on her Thursday night show which proposes an alternate reason for what Christie’s people and perhaps Christie himself did. And that is that the target of the bridge closing was not the mayor or Fort Lee but the State Representative in whose district Fort Lee is located and that is N.J. State Senator Loretta Weinberg. Christie was defending himself in his press conference on the theory that the target was the Mayor of Fort Lee but as he said, and the mayor confirms, his endorsement for the governor’s race was not really strongly sought by Christie or his people. The bridge closing occurred on August 13th and on August 12th Christie had given a press conference where he withdrew his renomination of Justice Hoen to the New Jersey Surpeme Court and called the democrats on the committee, one of whom was Loretta Weinberg ,”animals”. The whole dispute had started when Christie refused to reappoint to the Supreme Court the only black justice serving on the court. This was the first time that had ever happened and the democrats in the legislature retaliated by not allowing any of the Governor’s appointments through to replace him.
When Justice Hoen came up for renomination he refused to “put her through that” and called the people on the committee “animals”. The next day the bridge closure started.
This scandal goes far deeper than his aides, I’m afraid.

MyrddinWilt

The only thing that is hard to understand about the scandal is why anyone would want to do it at all.

We have the emails and the text messages of Wildstein and Kelly gloating over the traffic jam they caused. We know they did it for political reasons, ‘Children of Buono voters’. We know that they are nasty, horrid spiteful people. We know that Christie appointed them.

The only thing we don’t know for certain is who gave the order. My uncle can’t believe it was Christie because he can’t understand why he would do such a stupid thing. But he can’t understand why the assistant chief of staff would do something like this on their own either.

Imagine you are Wildstein’s lawyer and the Feds are offering probation with no jail time if your client will turn state’s evidence or charge him with 50,000 counts of kidnapping at 20 years each if he won’t. Detaining 50,000 people for four hours is a total of 22.5 years so 20 years concurrently would not be out of proportion. Is Wildstein’s lawyer really going to be telling him to protect Christie? I think he is going to be telling him to shop Christie and anyone else to save his own neck. Same for Kelly.

The bloated bully is going down. He is not going to run for President. The only question is whether he will serve out his term or be forced to resign and whether he will avoid prosecution, be indicted or go to jail.

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